9 Movies That Deserved More Oscar Love in 2018

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Some very deserving actors, actresses and filmmakers got snubbed during this year’s Oscar nominations, making it one of the most shocking award run-ups yet. With the 90th Annual Academy Awards ceremony taking place on March 4, there was much speculation about which movies and performances would gain Oscar nods. There are those films that were certain to be recognized. Then there were those that stood an outside chance. As usual, we have come to realize, that as far as the Academy Awards are concerned, nothing is going to happen the way we think it will when it comes to the Oscar nominations in any given year.

Which leads us to the Oscar snub. A quick look at Dictionary.com describes a snub as a way to “rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully.” Now, I am not sure that any of the parties or films on this list would use those words for why they weren’t nominated. At the same time, I am sure that they would describe themselves as feeling dissed. And if you want dissed, this list describes what the Academy did in spades.

Every year there are performances and movies that don’t get a fair shake at the Oscars. This is the nature of the movie business and if you’re dependent on accolades to get rich then you better start investing a living space under a freeway. One has to wonder however, why did some films get picked over others that seemed to be a lock for the golden statue?

The nature of all these awards shows is, by design, highly subjective. It certainly doesn’t seem like some of the performances and movies were purposely left out. However, the films on this list were such glaring omissions on the day the Oscar nominees were announced, that it doesn’t seem to make sense that they weren’t honored by Hollywood’s most elite machine.

What this list attempts to do is make a case for why said performer, director or movie should’ve been treated better. In some cases, conjecture will be offered to try and explain the mindset of the snub in question. So thicken up your skin and get ready for the 9 biggest Oscar snubs of 2018.

Jessica Chastain for Best Actress in Molly’s Game

The main character’s name is in the title for crying out loud! Yet, the Academy of Arts and Sciences took it upon themselves to completely ignore the Molly in Molly’s Game. Jessica Chastain just keeps making good movie after good movie. She’s a go to actress for the roles that others just aren’t able to perform. So how in the world did the Academy miss such a performance? Maybe Molly’s Game just wasn’t as popular as it should’ve been? The actresses that were elected were in films that had momentum. Sadly, when Molly’s Game seemed to come to the table, though it performed similarly at the box office, award givers didn’t appear that interested in taking her hand and leading it towards an Oscar.

The Disaster Artist for Best Picture

Didn’t the Academy see the brilliance in bestowing a Best Picture Oscar nomination on The Disaster Artist? The film was about the making of The Room, a movie that many consider to be the worst film ever made. Okay, to be fair, The Disaster Artist is your garden variety biopic with really big actors involved. As somebody who loves (and makes) movies, I loved everything about The Disaster Artist, but that’s because I’m in that low budget world. Many people aren’t so this film probably doesn’t resonate as much. So why is this a snub? Well, the Academy prides itself on celebrating the spirit of artistry. What film had more artistic spirit in 2017 than The Disaster Artist? None. So why was this movie snubbed again?

Wonder Woman for Best Picture

Wonder Woman has probably made more money than the collective grosses of all the films that were nominated for an Oscar. So, of course, it would have to be snubbed, right? In a year that has seen the #metoo and #timesup movements essentially reshape the film industry, what film could better usher all of this change in than Gal Gadot and Wonder Woman? This snub seems simple actually. The Academy has long had a tradition of favoring lower budgeted (ie. artistic) movies. Wonder Woman with it’s $149 million dollar budget and nearly half a billion dollar in grosses, just wasn’t seen as the film to say, “Hey film industry, there’s a new sheriff in town!” Perhaps it looked too much like the old one to get any Academy Awards love? What say you, Oscars?

Armie Hammer for Best Supporting Actor in Call Me By Your Name

In films such as The Social Network and J. Edgar, Armie Hammer has shown a depth of range and intensity. However, it is Hammer’s deeply soulful performance as Oliver in Call Me By Your Name that really has people talking. This tale of teenager Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and the relationship he forms with Hammer’s character is nothing short of poetic. That Chalamet caught the eye of the Academy, and is staring down Oscar gold, and somehow Hammer did not, really makes one wonder. Has Hammer been hurt by such big budget films as The Man From Uncle? Can he not be seen as a serious actor. This is one snub that really feels… like a full on snub.

The Florida Project for Best Picture

The fact that Willem Dafoe got nominated for Best Supporting actor Oscar is enough for The Florida Project, right? Maverick director Sean Baker (Tangerine) should be thankful that his style and sensibility was even recognized at all it would seem. However, as quirky as The Florida Project is, it honestly seems to have deserved a Best Picture nomination. Times are changing. We are seeing seismic shifts in the film industry and the world. Like Wonder Woman, what better way to show everyone that the revolution will be televised? The Florida Project deserves to be up there with the other 9 Oscar nominees.

James Franco for Best Actor in The Disaster Artist

The Disaster Artist may not be some amazing cinematic achievement. However, James Franco playing Tommy Wiseau is amazing and one wonders why The Disaster Artist didn’t at least garner a nomination. Okay, playing Tommy Wiseau isn’t like Robert DeNiro playing Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. At the same time, Franco is excellent as this man who lives by his own rules. He totally inhabits this character and in the process, The Disaster Artist will bring even more light to the cult phenomenon (can we still it that?) known as The Room. Still, this snub has to hurt. Most speculate that Franco and his movie didn’t make the cut because of the sexual misconduct accusations that came out after the actor won his Golden Globe for Best Actor. It certainly didn’t help him at all when it came time to call out the Oscars.

Tom Hanks for Best Actor in The Post

How can Tom Hanks be in a movie this good and not at least garner an Oscar nomination? Who knows? However, anybody who has watched The Post knows that at as great as Meryl Streep is in The Post (and she was nominated for Best Actress), every Ali needs their Frazier. Hanks and Streep go back and forth here and the scenes between them sizzle like the screwball comedy films of Frank Capra. Also, when one considers how the news media is being assailed every day by our current Administration, how could this important performance in this important film be snubbed when it comes to the Oscars?

My Life as a Zucchini for Best Animated Film

Alright, this snub is probably not a snub if we’re going by the legitimate definition of the term. My Life as a Zucchini was released on February 24, 2017 in the United States. However, it came out in France on May 15 of 2016. So, that probably disqualified it for any sort of Academy consideration. But this is still a snub. Why? The Academy seems to have a history of bending or altering rules… for certain people. How else to explain why Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004? That film was many things but it was no more a Foreign Film than Good Burger. Considering the message of My Life as a Zucchini, the artistry, and it’s sheer genre bending nature, I don’t know why the Academy couldn’t have made an exception. Due to that I am considering this a major Oscar snub!

Steven Spielberg as Best Director for The Post

For The Post director Steven Spielberg it must’ve felt like 1976 all over again. That year he was snubbed for Jaws. It sorta made sense. Jaws was a popcorn picture not a contender for the Oscars. The beginning of McMovies taking over cinema. The Post is an impeccable film about a timely subject. In fact, The Post might be more of a political film than Munich. Whatever the case, this tale of the release of the Pentagon papers which was ultimately a precursor to the Watergate scandal that got Richard Nixon ousted from office, shows a director at the top of his craft. Why was Spielberg not recognized? Could it be that he normally is and the Academy felt that it was time for new blood? Whatever the reason this is a glaring omission.